


pimpernel

by peeira



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2020-04-23 05:39:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19144657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peeira/pseuds/peeira
Summary: Tsunade thinks nothing of the three kids standing in front of her, begging to be taught ninjutsu. Orphans are a sad reality in war, after all.Then, she notices his red hair.(Or, Tsunade brings the Ame trio home, and Kushina's world shifts.)





	1. Chapter 1

Orphans are common in wars. It’s a sad reality, but that’s just how it is. Especially in a dangerous world like the shinobi world.

So, she thinks nothing of them at first. Just three kids who are fending for themselves. Hey, it happens.

But then, as if by change, she notices his hair colour. Straight _red_. There’s no doubt about it.

And she makes a choice.

“They’re coming with us,” she states, ignoring the look Orochimaru gives her.

He sighs. “It would be better to put them out of their misery, Princess.”

Jiraiya stands agape. “Tsunade? Are you sure about this?”

Tsunade drifts her gaze to the red headed boy, who yelps back behind his friends. “I’m sure of it.”

Jiraiya insists. “I can stay here with them. I can teach them ninjutsu so they can-”

She whips her head towards him. “And then what? You leave them to fend for themselves in the middle of a war?”

He opens his mouth to protest, but nothing comes out of it.

“They’re coming with us.” Tsunade says, and that’s that.

 

* * *

 

When Dan dies, Tsunade’s world crumbles to the ground.

He’s bleeding out from under her, but that doesn’t stop her from trying to bring him back. She keeps pulling chakra into her hands, pushing it into him to revive him because she’s the best med-nin that there ever was –even better than Grandpa- so if she can’t heal him…

She ignores the others around her, trying to grab her away from the body, all saying it’s useless – because all she can see is blood. _His_ blood. All over her hands.

She screams, pulling her own hair, pushing more and more chakra to her fingers. It takes exactly eight jounin to get her away from Dan’s body. At least four left with broken arms or fractured ribs.

She’s so distraught about Dan she completely forgets about the three kids she brought with her from Ame.

 

* * *

 

When she arrives in Konoha there’s a parade waiting for all of them. She couldn’t care less.

She happens to spares a glance into the crowd, and then her heart sinks to her stomach.

She sees little Shizune holding hands with Kushina, her eyes darting aroundat all the shinobi who just arrived, clearly looking for _him_. Tsunade clenches her fists. She had lost her mother, now she lost her uncle, too.

As for Kushina, she had taken her in after Mito died. The Uzumaki had no one, distancing herself from everyone and lashing out at them when they made fun of her hair colour – until that event with the Kumo-nin and that clanless Namikaze kid (Tsunade had made a mental note to buy him all the ramen he wanted. Well, all right, maybe not _all_.).

Their eyes meet, and she rushes home.

 

* * *

 

“Hurry up! They’re coming home today!” Shizune shouts, shuffling around the room as much as her four-year-old self will allow. “Hurry! Hurry!”

Kushina frowns as she finishes tying her sandals. “I know! I know!” But she can never stay mad at Shizune. What a cutie. “I’m comin’!”

Tsunade is supposed to arrive today! Kushina had heard about her –along with her other teammates– being named Sannin or something by some really bad guy.

Kushina stands up. “I’m ready!”

Shizune beams as Kushina takes her by the hand, sprinting out of the building and towards the busy street, filled to the brim with civilians and shinobi alike, all waiting to meet their heroes.

Kushina has to stand on her toes to be able to even see what is going on. Shizune tugs at her kimono, wanting to see it too. Kushina picks her up (they’re both tiny, but Shizune is only four, c’mon!) but it’s useless, everyone around her is just too tall. She ends up placing Shizune back on the ground, who doesn’t seem fazed and keeps tugging at Kushina’s shorts.

Kushina scuffs at the loud crowd but stops when someone softly taps her on the shoulder. She glances up to see an older woman, who smiles and instructs her to stand at the front, as she can see just fine. Both young girls beam as they run in front of the nice lady.

They watch in awe as the jounin arrive through the gates, all with exhausted looks on their faces. Some are clutching onto their sides, while others have to be carried on stretchers. Konoha may have won the war, but the cost was too high, Kushina realizes. Then, both girls flinch as the people around them start yelling and shifting.

“Look, look! It’s them!”

“It’s the Sannin! They’re back.”

They both gasp when they finally see Tsunade arriving. Yet, no Dan. Uh, he must be late.

“Where’s uncle?” Shizune asks. She glances up at Kushina. “Kushina, where’s uncle?”

Kushina has to agree. _Where is he?_ He’s a med-nin just like Tsunade, so they had to arrive together. All of the other med-nin are already there, even those badly injured.

Unless…

Kushina is only twelve, but she’s a shinobi. She glances back at the jounin, back at Tsunade, who she can now tell has a grim expression.

“Why isn’t uncle with Tsune?” Shizune asks her again.

Kushina bites the inside of her cheek. She gazes down at Shizune, and says nothing. Tears start brimming in her dark eyes.

Kushina shakes her head, thinking of _something_. Maybe... he’s late? Maybe he stayed behind. He’s a med-nin, right? Maybe he had to tend to someone. Maybe.

But Tsunade’s the best med-nin in Konoha, and she came back. Without him. That could only mean one thing.

Kushina gazes back at Tsunade. Their eyes meet, and the adult dashes away. Kushina quickly grabs Shizune by the hand and bolts after Tsunade.

 

Except running after Tsunade proved more difficult than she thought possible.

The streets are crowded with curious bystanders, all wanting to their shinobi arrive from the battlefield.

She pushes past them with some effort, but Tsunade’s already gone from sight the moment she gets away enough. She figures she must have headed home and tries her luck there. Still holding Shizune by the hand, she keeps on running.

Luckily there doesn’t seem to be anyone around the house when they arrive, so she goes in. And almost falters.

She is shocked to see Tsunade leaning against the wall, _wheeping_. 

Kushina opens her mouth to speak, but Shizune shoulders past her. “Tsune! Where’s uncle?” Tsunade averts her gaze, and Kushina _knows_. She knows Shizune knows too, but she’s only a child. She’s clinging onto what little hope she has left.

The Senju doesn’t protest as Shizune begins furiously tugging at her clothes. “Where’s uncle!” the little girl demands.

Tsunade pulls Shizune close, wraps her arms tightly around her body, and sobs into her head. “I’m sorry, Shizune. He’s not coming back,” she says as tears begin to stream down her face. “I’m sorry.”

Shizune doesn’t react, staring into nothing.

Kushina’s trembling, her hands curled into fists. She had lost her parents on the way to Konoha, when Uzushio decided she was to be the vessel for the Nine-Tails. She had no time to process their deaths when they informed her Uzushiogakure had been destroyed as well. She has no idea how to react now, no idea what she should do. They're taught at the Academy that shinobi should hide their emotions, never show their tears. But this... was too much.

“I did everything I could.” Tsunade says, softly running a hand through Shizune’s hair, who’s now bawling into Tsunade’s chest.

It’s almost unbearable. Kushina dashes towards Tsunade and hugs her too. She firmly grabs Tsunade’s hand, who squeezes back. Tsunade has always been there for her, so this is the least she could do.

They stand like that for minutes, the only sounds being sniffs and Shizune’s loud crying.

Then, there’s a knock. “Excuse me, Princess?” a jounin opens the door and peers his head through it. “May I come in?”

Tsunade sends him a furious glare, not letting go of a sobbing Shizune, but nods. Kushina let go of her hold on Tsunade.

The jounin flinches. “I-I’m sorry to intrude,” he begins. “But um,” he glances down nervously. “What are we supposed to do with the children you brought along?”

And Kushina is amazed to see three children around Shizune’s age carefully hiding behind the shinobi.


	2. Chapter 2

Immediately, she notices his bright red hair, and all sorts of emotions rush through her.

She knew – she wanted to believe – there were more Uzumaki like her, scattered across the world, who had managed to get away from Uzushio before its destruction. She had been chosen to come to Konoha when war was imminent, although she never understood why. Because Konoha and Uzushio shared a common ancestor? There were much better candidates than her, after all. But the clan head claimed no one had chakra like hers. Why that had been an important factor, she had no idea. Now, she knows very well why.

She glances back at Tsunade, who’s still grasping a weepy Shizune. The Senju doesn’t react to the children at all, even though Kushina is sure the jounin just said she was the one who brought them to the village.

Kushina begins walking towards the red-haired boy, hoping to confirm her suspicions on his heritage, but the two other kids quickly block her way. “S-Stand back!” the boy says, raising his arms defensively, and if things weren’t as grim, Kushina would think it super adorable.

The girl, on the other hand, doesn’t seem as hostile, instead focusing on Kushina’s hair. She lowers her arms, glancing back and forth between her friend and Kushina, obviously intrigued by the similarity. “Nagato, it’s the same colour as yours…” she mumbles very quietly, but not quiet enough for a shinobi-trained Kushina to not be able to hear it.

Nagato, huh?

She takes a closer look at Nagato and immediately pulls a face. How can he even see with his hair like that! That just won’t do! Luckily, she knows how to fix this.

Kushina kneels down in front of him and reaches for her hair. The boy flinches a little, terrified, and Kushina quickly waves her hands in front of her defensively. “It’s okay! I won’t hurt you!” she assures him. She removes the pin from her hair and reaches for Nagato. Seeing as he doesn’t protest, she softly brushes aside the hair covering his eyes. Then, she takes a step back. “Huh,” Kushina says, noting his purple, spiral-like eyes. Not like the Sharingan she has seen her bestie display a few times. These were much different… and weirder.

Nagato blinks, caught off guard by the gesture, clearly never realizing doing that to his hair was an option. The other boy seems to take offense, and steps in front of Kushina. “W-What do you think you’re doing to him?!” he yells, clearly trying to sound intimidating.

Kushina puffs out her cheeks. “I’m helping him out!” she stands up and brushes her skirt off.

“You’re scaring him! Stay away!” the boy snarls, and something tells Kushina she’ll have a lot of fun messing with this kid in the future.

“So,” she clasps her hands. “I’m Kushina,” she greets the three with a small bow. She turns to Nagato. “I’m an Uzumaki,” she says in the hopes of triggering something. He doesn’t react to the name at all, and Kushina sighs.

To say she’s devastated would be a lie. To this day, she never expected to see another Uzumaki ever again. The Hokage had told her Uzushio had been utterly annihilated, with no survivors to be found; she was the last, he had told her. She remembers how angry she felt. Why didn’t Konoha help them? Weren’t Konoha and Uzushio old allies? Isn’t that why she came here in the first place? Mito was already gone at that point, and although Tsunade was always there for her, she kept busy setting up the new Konoha hospital.

But his eyes, though… Those intrigue her. She doesn’t recall anyone in Uzushio ever having something like that. Maybe it’s a bloodline limit thing? But Uzumaki don’t have that! Unless… Oh! She could ask her bestie for help! After all, takes someone with weird eyes to know another one, right?

The blue-haired girl glances at her friends, then gazes at Kushina. She extends her hands and Kushina gasps. Small white particles begin to take shape around her hands, hovering on the air until they set in the girls opens palms and transform into several tiny flowers. “My name is Konan,” she hands Kushina the paper bouquet. “These are for you.”

Kushina takes it. “These are so cute!”

Konan blushes, then gestures towards the orange-haired boy. “This is Yahiko,” she says, and the boy in question crosses his arms and turns his head to the side, letting out a _hmph_. She then points at Nagato. “And this is Nagato.”

“That’s great and all,” Yahiko starts. “But when are we-”

“Ahem,” The jounin lets out a fake cough, interrupting the moment. He’s still the target of Tsunade’s glare, and so hesitates before talking again. “The, um, Hokage would like to speak with you, Princess.” He swallows, bracing himself for impact. “Immediately.”

Tsunade sighs and picks up Shizune, who’s still not letting go of her. She runs a hand through Shizune’s hair and turns to face Kushina. “Can you stay with them for a while? I’ll be right back.”

Kushina glances at the children, then at Tsunade, and nods. She watches Tsunade leave the house with Shizune in her arms, the jounin following behind them nervously.

And then there were four.

“So,” Kushina says, examining the trio. “Why did you-”

“When is she training us?” Yahiko interrupts. “That’s why we agreed to come here in the first place, so we could get stronger.”

Huh. Kushina has no idea about any of that. “What are you talking about?”

He sighs. “I knew it. We should have stayed behind with the other man,” he says, and Konan twitches slightly at that. Confused, he turns to her. “What’s wrong?”

“I didn’t like him,” she admits quietly. “He seemed... really weird.”

“Huh,” Yahiko says. “If you say so.”

“Why do you want to get stronger?” Kushina asks.

“So I can rule the world!” Yahiko answers proudly. “So I can protect my friends and make sure no one else gets hurt.” He turns to the side and asks, “Isn’t that right, Nagato?”

Nagato, who has been quiet until now, mumbles something in such a low tone of voice not even Kushina can hear it.

Yahiko blinks. “Nagato?”

“I don’t like it here,” Nagato repeats, louder this time, shaking his head. “The leaf. I don’t... I don’t like it.” A series of emotions flicker across his face – none of which good. He steps aside, hugging his stomach, staring at the floor. He leans against the wall, then lets himself drop down onto the floor. He folds his legs against his chest, resting his chin atop his knees.

Yahiko rushes to his friend side, and Kushina looks at Konan for answers. “The three of us are orphans from Amegakure,” she explains sadly. “Our families were killed as a result of this war.” She gazes at Nagato. “As for Nagato, his parents were... killed by shinobi from Konoha.”

“Oh,” is all Kushina can say. “I’m so sorry...”

Yahiko scuffs at her. “As if you know what that’s like! You’re here, aren’t you? You’re safe inside these big walls, with nothing to worry about. But us? We’re on our own,” he says, getting more and more agitated. “It’s because of big villages like this that Ame is the way it is! You use it as your playground, and have no concern for its people.”

Konan gasps and presses her hands to her mouth. “Yahiko...”

“On day I’ll rule the world, and all of this will change,” Yahiko adds.

Kushina doesn’t react. She knows it’s true, how Konoha and the other four great villages often use smaller ones as their battlefield. There’s nothing she can say that can make things better.

Instead, she has an idea.

She begins walking towards Nagato, very slowly, then sits down next to him. “I’m not from this place either,” she says. “And I know what it feels like to be alone. I have no one left, either.”

He lifts his face and meets her gaze. “What do you mean?”

She inhales, then exhales. “I’m from Uzushio, a place that doesn’t exist anymore,” she explains. “My clan sent me here to... fulfil an old agreement between our villages. By the time I arrived in Konoha war had already begun,” she sighs. “One day the Hokage pulled me aside and told me Uzushio had been completely destroyed by enemy forces.”

Konan moves next to her. “You mean you have no family left?”

Kushina nods somberly. “There were no survivors, I’m the only one left,” she turns to Nagato, and her expression softens. “Or so I thought.”

He blinks. “What do you mean?”

She gestures to her hair, then to his. “It’s the same. Only Uzumaki have bright red hair like this,” she says. “There was this woman, Mito, who came to Konoha before me. Your hair is exactly like hers.”

“But I’m not from Uzushio. I didn’t even know that place existed.” He seems to consider for a moment, then lets out a shaky breath. “My mother, she...” he hesitates. “I have the same hair as her.”

“Then that must be it,” Kushina says. “Your mom must have left Uzushio to marry someone from another village. I’ve seen it happened a few times.”

Yahiko blinks. “So you’re like... cousins?” he asks, very unsure of himself.

Konan softly places a reassuring hand on Nagato’s shoulder. “Nagato, these are great news.”

He glances up at Kushina, then his gaze drifts to the floor. “I still don’t like it here, tough.”

Kushina hums thoughtfully and brings a hand to her chin. “You know...” she begins. She stands up and grins, placing both hands on her hips. “Uzumaki are masters of fuinjutsu. I can teach you some super secret techniques, and you’ll be strong in no time!”

Nagato perks up slightly, while Yahiko bashfully folds his hands behind his head. “I mean, it’s not like we’re strong enough to survive in Ame on our own yet...”

Konan nods. “We can stay here until that lady trains us, then we can go back and protect our people,” she turns to Nagato. “What do you think?”

He buries his head on his knees, and Konan and Yahiko exchange a worried look. Kushina thinks he won’t answer, but then, to her surprise, Nagato says, “Alright.” He stands up slowly, and takes Yahiko and Konan’s hand in his. “We can stay and train together.”

Kushina smiles, already conjuring up a bunch of ideas in her head.

 

* * *

 

“What were you thinking, Tsunade? To bring these children inside our gates! Have you gone mad?”

“What if they’re spies working for Hanzō? You should have left them in Ame, it wasn’t your decision to make.”

Tsunade grits her teeth. If she wasn’t holding onto the now-fast-asleep-after-crying-non-stop Shizune, she would have screamed and wrecked the whole place. She has no patience for these two old fools, especially not _now_.

The Hokage takes a sip of his pipe. “Calm down,” he says to the Elders placed on each side of him. “I’m sure Tsunade had her reasons,” he says. _So let’s hear them_ , is clearly what he wants to say next.

Tsunade sighs. “The boy is an Uzumaki,” she explains. “I have no doubt about it. He has the exact same hair as my grandmother, as well as their intense chakra. I just couldn’t leave him behind.”

The Hokage lifts an intrigued eyebrow. “An Uzumaki?”

The Elders exchange glances, not convinced by her reasoning. “And so what if he is?” asks Homura. “He was in Ame territory. Uzumaki or not, you just brought an enemy inside ours gates! Explain yourself.”

“I figure it’s the _least_ we could do, since Konoha didn’t bother to send any shinobi to aid its ally Uzushio when it was invaded.” She answers, rather cockily, and oh, that sure hits a nerve, as Homura’s eyes twitch.

“Even so,” Koharu says. “To bring them here was a mistake! What do you think Hanzō will say when he finds out about this? He will claim we are kidnapping his people!”

Tsunade rolls her eyes. They’re always so dramatic. As if Hanzō, of all people, would care that three kids left the village. He didn’t care about sending shinobi under his care to eminent death, much less three civilian kids who couldn’t hold their own in a fight.

“I think they should stay,” says a voice suddenly. Tsunade whips her head to the side to see a man walk in it is and it takes all of her strength not to destroy the entire building.

“ _Danzō_ ,” she says through gritted teeth. The nerve of him to show up now, of all times.

The Elders stand up. “What do you mean, Danzō? You can’t possibly think to have them here would be a good idea.” Koharu says.

“She’s right,” Homura says. “Others would accuse them of being spies.”

A smile slowly forms on Danzō’s mouth. “Exactly.”

“You’re an idiot if you think I’ll let them be anywhere near you,” Tsunade says. It’s clear what Danzō wants, for these children to spill the secrets of Ame – if there are even any – to him. As if they would even be aware of that! They’re orphans, who ran to Tsunade and the others to beg to be taught ninjutsu to survive.

Danzō furrows an eyebrow. “Then what would you have them do, _Princess_?”

“For starters,” she says, ignoring the way he just addressed her. “We need to teach them basic ninjutsu. They can’t hold their own in a fight.”

Homura sighs, and Koharu shakes her head. “Again, we must-”

Hiruzen lets out a cough, and everyone quiets down. Seemingly, he reached his final verdict. “The children can stay,” he says, then proceeds to take a sip of his pipe. The two Elders stand up, clearly about to protest, but Hiruzen raises a hand and gestures them to calm down. “That is, until they graduate from the Academy. Tsunade,” he motions to her. “They will be enrolled at the Academy later this year, still donning their Ame colours. They will be under your care and responsibility. After all, you were the once who decided to bring them here. Is that understood?”

She huffs. As if she wasn’t expecting it already. “I already took care of Kushina, didn’t I?” she says, and sends the elders and Danzō a not-so-subtle glare. They quickly figure out what she means by it, and narrow their eyes.

Thinking about Kushina’s treatment by the council – hell, by the entire village – makes her vivid. Kushina, who was forced to come to Konoha to host the Nine-Tails as a child, wasn’t even given proper accommodations until Mito’s death. If Tsunade hadn’t taken her in, she knows for a fact no one else would, not even Hiruzen. She came to a foreign village to act as a vessel - a _container_ \- to keep everyone safe from a demon, and yet, she was shunned by everyone.

Danzō hums and Tsunade snaps back to reality. “Not what I had in mind, but I’m sure they will prove themselves a valuable asset to Konoha,” he says. He makes his way towards the door. “I shall take my leave.”

“There’s one more thing,” Tsunade says as she watches Danzō leave. “I’m retiring from combat. Effective immediately.”

Both Elders stand up abruptly from their seats, while Hiruzen almost chokes on his pipe. “You’re what!” Koharu yells. “You can’t possibly leave now, we’ve taken to many casualties!”

Tsunade almost laughs at that. Now they’re worried about casualties? If not for her and Dan, Konoha would never even have ONE med-nin in a squad. They begged and begged for better facilities, claiming lives that were lost that could have easily been saved, but all of their pleas were deemed unnecessary. If not for her and Dan...

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Thinking about him still hurts.

“Tsunade, think about this,” Hiruzen says. “You’re too valuable to stay behind. You’re needed at the front lines, now more than ever.”

She ignores their remarks, instead gazing down fondly at a sleepy Shizune. “I didn’t say I was leaving the village,” she says. She can’t. No matter how much she despises the council, she has a duty to help people. She has a duty to _them_. “I’ll stay here until their graduation. Then, we’ll see.”

Hiruzen opens his mouth but she doesn’t wait for a response, slamming the door open with her foot.

Shizune stirs and yawns in her arms, her eyes are still red from all the crying. Tsunade softly brushes her hair. “Let’s head home,” she says. “We have a lot to talk about.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Y’know,” Kushina begins. “Tsunade is an Uzumaki too.”

Nagato gazes at her, intrigued. Uzumaki have red hair, Kushina had told him just now. Tsunade does not have red hair. He can’t help but to wonder.

Yahiko makes a face. He points at Nagato’s hair, then at Kushina’s. “She doesn’t look like one.”

“Her grandmother!” Kushina clarifies, turning to Nagato. “Remember that woman I told you about? Mito? That’s her granny.”

Yahiko comments something, but Nagato closes his eyes, taking a deep breath.

He didn’t want to come, at first. He doesn’t like the leaf, not one bit. He sees the leaf, he thinks of his parents. He can’t trust Konoha-nin, never ever. Not after what they did. But.

But.

He saw Tsunade shatter the ground with a single fist like it was nothing. He saw her fight Hanzo. _The_ Hanzo. She had told the other Sannin she was taking them with her, and yet. She approached them, calmly, slowly, and asked if they were okay with it. She didn’t force them to come if they didn’t want to.

Yahiko and Konan were quick to agree, while Nagato had opted to stay quiet.

The door slides open, and Nagato flinches back to reality. Tsunade walks in, holding the other girl in her arms. “I see you guys are settling in alright,” she says, examining the squad.

“Tsunade!” Kushina greets her. “We were just talking!” she says, while Nagato and the others stand upa wkwardly.

Tsunade smiles fondly at her. She glances at Nagato, but he quickly turns his head away.

“Hey!” Yahiko yells, stomping towards Tsunade. “When are you training us?”

Tsunade gazes away from Nagato to face the other boy. “There’s been a change of plans,” she says. Yahiko huffs, but she keeps going. “I spoke with the Hokage and he allowed the three of you to remain,” she explains. “But,” she adds, and hesitates for a few moments. “You’ll have to join the Academy.”

Yahiko and Konan exchange a confused look. “The Academy?” she asks.

Tsunade nods. “You’ll still be shinobi from Ame, of course, and won’ have to wear our headband. We would never ask that of you.”

“But what about our training!” Yahiko insists. “That’s why we came here, to get stronger!” He huffs, crossing his arms and stomping his feet. “Then what's the point...” he mutters under his breath.

“You’ll get your training _at_ the Academy,” Tsunade says. “The basics, that is. Become proper genin, then… we’ll see what I’ll have in store for you.”

Konan hums, taking in her words very carefully. Yahiko doesn’t seem fazed and opens his mouth to go on surely another tirade when the girl in Tsunade’s arms begins to stir.

“Hum?” she says as she slowly opens her eyes. Tsunade stiffens a laugh and gently sets her down. Still drowsy, the girl rubs her eyes, then stands completely still as she notices three kids staring at her. “Oh, um…hi,” she glances at the three of them, embarrassed. “I’m Shizune,” she says, and does a small curtsy.

Yahiko and Konan seem confused, but greet her back nonetheless. “I’m Yahiko,” he says. Konan takes a step forward, extending her hands and, like before, small white particles begin to take shape around her hands until they transform into several tiny flowers

She presents them to Shizune, who stares at them, transfixed. “That’s so cool!” she says, and Konan cheeks turn red.

Nagato shyly takes a step forward. “I’m… Nagato.”

Tsunade watches amused as the kids all introduce each other. “I’m glad you’re getting along,” she says with a grin. “Well then,” she puts her hands on her hips. “I know things are happening a little too fast right now, but I promise I’ll look after you. I need to get going, there’s stuff I need to do first,” she says. “As in, I need to make sure the hospital runs smoothly when I’m gone.”

Kushina shifts uncomfortably. “Tsunade. Are you…” she trails off. “Are you sure?”

Before Tsunade can react, Shizune runs over to her. “I’ll go with you!” she says, tugging the at woman’s obi.

Tsunade softly runs a hand through the girl’s hair. “It’s alright, Kushina,” she says, though her voice is shaky. “I’ll just... look around.” Tsunade says as she begins walking towards the door, now holding hands with Shizune.

Kushina doesn’t take her eyes off her. “I… Alright.” she concedes.

Tsunade opens the door and takes one last glance at Kushina and the trio before leaving. Shizune waves her hands goodbye. “See ya!”

The door finally closes, and Kushina lets out a sigh.

Konan blinks. “Is everything okay?”

“Huh?” Kushina turns to face Konan. “Yeah, it’s just…” she sighs, then her eyes widen, like an idea just rushed though her brain, and her demeanour completely changes. “So!” Kushina exclaims, pumping up her fists. “You guys are new here,” she begins. “So, how ‘bout I show you around the village! What do you say?”

Yahiko perks up. “Awesome! That’s-” he stops. He turns to Nagato. “I mean,” he hesitates, folding his hands. “Only if you want to.”

Konan moves to Nagato’s side and takes his hand, and he squeezes it gently. “It’s okay,” he says.

“Good!” Kushina says. “Then let’s get going!”

 

* * *

 

Maybe, Kushina thinks as she walks, this wasn’t the best idea after all.

She was so happy to have met another Uzumaki like her - another _survivor_ \- that she completely forgot about her own reality.

That pretty much everyone in the whole village despises her.

Even after being made genin, even after getting _their_ headband, the stares wouldn’t stop. Just like they aren’t stopping now.

She tries to ignore a mother rushing to her kid to grab his hand, clearly to stay away from her; she tries to ignore how the people behind her start whispering the moment she’s far away enough to listen (or so they think, considering she’s a _kunoichi_ ).

She grits her teeth, trying to ignore them, trying to remember the reason why she’s here: to show these kids around, – one of which is her cousin, maybe! – to help them feel safe in a place that took away their homes. But with everyone blatantly staring at her, gossiping about her, she finds it quite difficult.

She’s so focused on her own thoughts that it takes Konan three tries to get Kushina to notice her.

“-shina?” she asks quietly.

The Uzumaki whips her head towards her. The young girl looks concerned, and Kushina tries her best to relax.

“Why are they doing that?” she asks quietly, subtly nodding at the people strolling around them. “Why are they staring at us?”

“Is it because we’re from Ame?” Nagato asks, a concerned look on his eyes. He shifts and places a hand over his eyes. “Is it because…” he says, and carefully removes the pin Kushina had previously placed on his hair, letting it down again.

Kushina sighs. Of course they wouldn’t know all of these stares were aimed at her. She is about to answer when a flash of yellow suddenly appears in front of her.

And she stands completely still as none other than Minato Namikaze shows up in front of her.

“Kushina?” he asks. “I was looking all over for you.”

She blushes. Red as a tomato, red as her hair. She stands completely immobile, not sure what to do, because they haven’t talked since The Incident. And she. Uh.

She really can’t deal with this right now.

“Are you alright?” Minato asks, and she keeps staring. “I heard what happened with Tsunade... I wanted to ask you if-“

“Is that your boyfriend?” Yahiko interrupts, grinning and wiggling his eyebrows, and Kushina turns absolutely _feral_.

“Oh?” Minato says, noticing the boy. “Who are these kids? Are they-”

Kushina eyes turn yellow, her hair floating wildly around her face, and Minato has to take a step back. “Um…”

“I gotta go!” Kushina blurts out. She grabs Nagato by the hand and _runs_. The others let out a “wha-”, before dashing off after her, leaving a very confused Minato behind.

 

When she does stop running, she realizes she ended up in the park. She lets go of Nagato’s hand and takes a deep breath, exhausted. She glances at Nagato, who seems both perplexed and amused at her reaction. She hears footsteps and panting behind her as Konan and Yahiko join them.

“What was… that all about…” Konan says between breaths.

“I knew it…” Yahiko says, catching his breath. “He… He IS your boyfriend.”

Kushina blushes. “It’s… It’s nothing like that!” She yells, waving her hands around, realizing it makes it sound like it is. “He’s just… one of my teammates…” she kicks a bit of dirt with her sandal. “That’s all…”

“Uh-huh.” Yahiko says, placing his hands behind his head, very pleased with himself.

Konan takes a step forward. “Kushina, about before…” she hesitates. “Why did those people look at us like that?”

Kushina lets out a sigh. “It wasn’t you,” she says, and the three stand to attention. Yahiko drops his charade and gazes at her concerned. “Remember what I told you guys? Why I came to this village in the first place? Well…” she points at a bench nearby, beckoning them to sit. “It’s kind of a long story.”

The four sit down in an awkward silence. The three Ame kids all trade uneasy glances with each other as Kushina hesitates before talking again. “This is supposed to be a secret, but…” A secret that everyone somehow knows. She glances at Nagato. “Remember the agreement I mentioned before? Between Konoha and Uzushio? Well, I-” she stops and grabs at her stomach. She _shudders_ , a feeling she hasn’t felt in a long time makes itself notice.

A feeling of absolute anger crawling inside her, demanding to be let out.

_Look at how they treat you._

_Wouldn’t it be better to end them all?_

_You and I are the same. We should destroy them where they stand._

_Take off these chains._

Kushina snarls and shakes her head violently, grabbing at her hair, forcefully sending these thoughts (commands?) away. Nagato gasps, while Konan and Yahiko stand up. “W-What’s wrong?” he asks, scared. He stands in front of Nagato and Konan defensively, almost instinctively. “Y-your eyes!?”

“It’s okay,” Kushina says. She takes a deep breath, and tries to smile. “As I was saying, there is a demon of sorts inside me. A Tailed-Beast, to be more precise.”

“A Tailed-Beast?” Konan asks, puzzled. “What is that?”

“Why would you have a demon inside you?” Yahiko asks, still not stepping away from his friends.

“That was the agreement. I was sent here to act as a container.” Kushina explains grimly.

“That’s…” Nagato begins. “That’s awful.” He folds his arms.

Konan frowns. “Why would they do that to you…”

“You left your home just for that?” Yahiko asks, shaking his head. “That’s-”

“Listen here!” Kushina exclaims suddenly, clapping her hands, and the three youngsters stand to attention with all their hairs up. “That’s not why I brought you guys out here! I just thought of a great place to show you guys!” she smirks.

“W-Where are we going?” Yahiko asks, baffled by her mood swing.

“I hope you guys are hungry!” she stands up, saying, “C’mon, follow me!” as she takes off running away.

 

“He’s the best, one of the only people who actually like me,” Kushina explains as she makes her way to her favourite place in the whole village. She perks up as her nose picks up the scent of boiling hot sauce. “He’s open!” she says, and points to a wooden food stall in front of her, with only one figure eating. The three behind her take notice of the scent as well, and behind to drool and lick their lips.

As she steps closer, Kushina’s face widens with joy as she recognises who the figure ia. “Mikoto!” she exclaims, and smiles as her bestie gobbles down her noodles.

“Oh, Kushina!” Mikoto places her hashi down on her plate and gestures for Kushina to sit down next to her. She’s still wearing her chūnin attire, so Kushina gathers she must have came back from a mission. Or going to, maybe.

“Come on!” Kushina eagerly points at the stools for the others to sit down, and Mikoto curiously gazes at them. “Mikoto, these are Konan, Nagato and Yahiko,” she points at them respectively. “Tsunade brought them here. Oh, that’s right!” she says. “I wanted to ask you something about Nagato.”

Mikoto lets out a “hum?” as the boy in question shifts, embarrassed.

Teuchi takes that moment to appear. He’s a very young man, but not that much older than Mikoto, and works alone. Even if he opened his stall not too long ago, he always has someone sitting down, as his ramen is the best in all of Konoha. “I knew it was you!” he grins. “Ha-ha! Welcome, welcome!” he says as he notices the three others. “The more the merrier!” He quickly puts down four bowls of hot ramen. Yahiko doesn’t hesitate and starts eating right away, while Konan and Nagato quietly give their thanks for the meal. Then, Teuchi turns to Kushina and his expression turns grim. “I… heard about what happened with Dan. Is the Princess holding up alright?”

Kushina frowns. “A little. She wants to retire from combat.”

“I’m sorry,” Mikoto adds. “We all knew how much he meant to her,”

“Yeah,” Kushina says. She unfolds her hashi and gobbles down the entire plate of ramen in front of her in one go. Mikoto laughs, still not finished with her ramen even though she arrived first. “Say,” Kushina goes, still chewing down on some noodles. “Have you ever seen eyes like these? Y’know, with you being an Uchiha and all.”

Mikoto tilts her head to the side, intrigued. “What eyes?”

Kushina turns to Nagato. “It’s okay,” she reassures him. “She’s my friend, and her eyes also get all weird sometimes.”

Nagato sheepishly reaches for his forehead, then, facing Mikoto, holds up his fringe.

“Huh,” Mikoto says. “Those aren’t the Sharingan. Or the Byakugan.” She activates her Sharingan (something Kushina is always pleased to see, since the Uchiha tend to keep it to themselves unless in a fight, even if HE abhors it) and stares closely at the boy. “Where are you from?”

Nagato swallows a piece of his food. “Amegakure…”

Mikoto blinks. “Really? That’s…” she hums thoughtfully. “I mean, as far as I know there are no bloodline limits in Ame. And I’ve never seen eyes like those.”

Nagato lets his hair down again, shifting back to his seat, clearly bummed out.

“Sorry,” Mikoto pulls a face. “But I could try and ask around the compound? Maybe the clan heads will know something.”

“Yeah,” Kushina says. “I guess they would. Oh, by the way! Now that the war is over, are you going to apply for the joūnin exams?

“Oh, I don’t know…” Mikoto says, pressing a hand to her cheek. “My clan thinks I’m not ready yet, as I’m better at ninjutsu than actual doūjustu… Which is, you know, basic Uchiha stuff.”

“What? You’re the best! I bet you’d-”

“Pardon the intrusion,” a voice says suddenly. “But your presence is required elsewhere.”

Kushina smacks her (luckily empty) bowl onto the floor. Mikoto almost chokes on her noodles, while the Ame trio lift their bowls to their heads amidst all the confusion. Poor Teuchi almost drops a whole bowl of sliced pork onto the soup.

A swarm of bugs hover in the air in front of the stall. A few “yucks!” can be heard from Yahiko and Konan, as well as from Kushina. Mikoto let’s out an “oh-oh”.

“Yuuhi-sensei has summoned us for a B-rank mission,” Shibi announces as he materializes from out of the swarm. “Hizashi is already waiting.”

“Oh, I…” Mikoto blushes. “I totally forgot about that! Sorry!” She stands up abruptly, taking a last bite out of her noodles. “I’ll be right there!” she says, and with that, Shibi disappears with a puff of… bugs. Mikoto grabs her bag from an empty stool next to her, then sprints. “Good luck with your chūnin exams!” she yells, before disappearing completely from sight.

And Kushina gasps, completely bewildered. Because with all that happened, she completely forgot about the exams!


End file.
